Biggest Grossing Summer Movies At UK Box Office

26 April 2010

Mamma Mia

The summer blockbuster season gets underway this week as Iron Man 2 is the first of the big movies to make it to the big screen.

Robert Downey Jr is back in the role of Tony Stark aka Iron Man while Jon Favreau is also back in the director's chair.

And it looks like it's going to be an exciting summer in terms of movies with the likes of Eclipse, The Last Airbender, Toy Story 3 and Shrek Forever After all determined to be the biggest grossing movie this summer.

So to celebrate Iron Man 2 getting this summer underway we take a look at some of the biggest grossing summer movies at the UK Box office.

Practically everyone saw Mamma Mia! when it was released back in the summer of 2008 and despite going up against the likes of The Dark Knight and Iron Man the chick flick came out on top.

Yes Mamma Mia is the biggest grossing summer movie at the UK box office of all time as it took a staggering £69.2 million during it's release.

Aright so Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan weren't the best singers in the world but it was a fun movie that was a welcome break from all the CGI laden movie that dominated the big screen that year.

But it was Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest which had held the number one spot until Mamma Mia came along when it was released back in July 2006.

The movie, which was heavily criticised by the critics, made a very impressive £52.5 million in the UK as fans flocked out to get another look at Captain Jack Sparrow.

Dead Man's Chest remains the most successful movie in the Pirates series, breaking through the $1 billion barrier during it's run.

A return to the big screen for the Star Wars franchise in 1999, yes it really was eleven years ago, proved to be very fruitful at the UK box office as it took £51.1 million.

And Harry Potter movies have enjoyed huge success at the box office, if not always striking a chord with the critics, as Half Blood Prince and Order of the Phoenix have taken over £100 million between them in the UK alone.

And while most of the movies who have enjoyed success at the box office during the summer months have been the CGI fuelled films British movie The Full Monty is the third biggest grossing film.

The Robert Carlyle, which was released back in 1997, took £52.2 million here in the UK, just £300,000 behind Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

Top Twenty Five Biggest Grossing Summer Movies In The UK

1. Mamma Mia! The Movie 10 July 2008 £69.2m
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest 7 July 2006 £52.5m
3. The Full Monty 29 August 1997 £52.2m
4. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 16 July 1999 £51.1m
5. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 17 July 2009 £50.7m
6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 13 July 2007 £49.9m
7. The Dark Knight 25 July 2008 £49.1m
8. Shrek 2 2 July 2004 £48.2m
9. Jurassic Park 16 July 1993 £47.9m
10. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 4 June 2004 £46.1m
11. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End 25 May 2007 £40.6m
12. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 23 May 2008 £40.2m
13. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith 20 May 2005 £39.4m
14. Shrek the Third 29 June 2007 £38.7m
15. The Simpsons 27 July 2007 £38.6m
16. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 29 July 2005 £37.8m
17. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones 17 May 2002 £37.5m
18. Independence Day 9 August 1996 £37.1m
19. Men in Black 1 August 1997 £35.8m
20. Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (3D) 3 July 2009 £35.0m
21. Spider-Man 3 4 May 2007 £33.6m
22. The Matrix: Reloaded 23 May 2003 £33.5m
23. Gladiator 12 May 2000 £31.2m
24. Notting Hill 21 May 1999 £31.0m
25. War of the Worlds 1 July 2005 £30.6m